Veganville

SNL's Bring It On Down To Veganville feat. Justin Timberlake
Just reminiscing and thinking about this funny video I saw on SNL last year.  Still hilarious and relevant. Love every word he sings, so witty, so clever!  Vegans unite! :)

VegFest Seattle 2014

By Sarah Hubbard

Sarah Hubbard and Claudine Erlandson at Vegfest Seattle 2014

Last year when I attended Vegfest, it was purely for the joy of trying new foods and meeting like-minded people.  This year, I decided to take it a step further and volunteer as a Food Demonstrator.  On my first day, I served pita bread and naan for IndianLife.  Many of their products were vegan, but some of the meal-type items contained dairy.  I noticed that most of the attendees were very impressed with the naan being free of animal products, as I know so well that naan is difficult to find without dairy (varied recipes use milk, butter or yogurt).

On my second day volunteering, I got placed next to the WholeSoy & Co Yogurt table.  I have to give a quick background on why this made me so happy... Last year this product, which I'd been blissfully making my smoothies with, completely disappeared from the grocery store!  Upon further research, I learned that they had a production issue and were building a new facility.  So when I saw that they were back and at Vegfest with their delicious yogurt (vanilla is my fave), I knew I'd be back on my smoothie kick in no time!  Hehe...

Cooking injury - ow!

So back to the products I was actually preparing: Sunshine's Organic Burgers.  I cooked the Falafel Burger and the Garden Herb Burger, with my cooking assistant preparing Shitake Mushroom and Black Bean South West Burgers.  Many people were excited to try the Falafel Burger, some even waiting in line for the next batch to finish cooking. When we'd completed Sunshine's product demonstration, we were given SortaSausage Hemp Burgers and Breakfast SortaSausage to prepare.  Many people enjoyed these products because they are gluten-free and soy-free in addition to being vegan.  I also served chunks of a Slim Jim-like product called Viana Veggie Snack Sausage To Go, which many people ate more than one sample of, including children.

Earth Balance's new product!

In conclusion, I enjoyed my experience at this event, the people I met, and even running into the lovely and very passionate Animal Rights Advocate, Claudine Erlandson (whom you might remember from my brother's first protest).  I would highly recommend attending events such as these for those who are a bit hesitant on trying new products or for the transitioning vegan who needs more ideals for meals and such.

Bon appétit!

Local Yum: Wayward Vegan Cafe

By Sarah Hubbard

My brothers and I visited the Wayward Vegan Cafe recently and ordered a mini smorgasbord of items from the menu.  My very favorite thing here (not pictured) is the French toast!!  LOVE it!  On this particular day, we enjoyed (clockwise from top):

DIXIE FRIED which is "Crispy Fried Chiggen smothered with country gravy, broccoli-slaw, garlic-steamed greens,and deep fried herb biscuit wedges."

HILLBILLY OMELET described as "Sausage, hashbrowns, and grilled peppers and onions, topped with country gravy and cheddar cheese." Served with homefries.

HASHBROWNS WITH CHEESE (Daiya Cheddar)

GARLIC TOAST, which was "Garlic-seasoned grilled French bread slices lightly dusted with Parmesan"

Another favorite of mine is the Farmer's Hash which includes a super delicious gravy over scrambled curry tofu with faux-sausage- the first thing I ever tried when I first moved to Washington three years ago. 

Definitely check this place out if you're in the U district in Seattle, then cross the street and visit the ALL VEGAN grocery market, Vegan Haven!
Bon appétit!

Local Yum: PB Joy

Oh my goodness!  I didn't make this, but I wish I did!  It's from the Flying Apron Bakery (Vegan & Gluten-free) here in Seattle.  A peanut butter ball! 

Ingredients: Organic peanut butter, organic maple syrup, organic shredded coconut, organic sunflower seeds, organic gluten-free oats, organic raisins, organic brown rice syrup, organic dark chocolate chips (cacao mass, soy lecithin), organic vanilla, organic palm oil, organic cinnamon, sea salt

I see some recipe experimentation in my future!  I bought this treat in particular at the Issaquah Coffee Company in Issaquah, WA, who sell a small variety of sweets from the Flying Apron.  And on a side note, ICC also has a hemp, rice, soy and almond milk option for those who are dairy-free!  100% recommend their vanilla hemp milk latte!

McCruelty: Leafleting & Peacefully Protesting

Claudine, Sarah, Zachary and Jeff

My youngest brother, Zachary, came into town last week from Minnesota for a wintery visit.  I'd really missed him!  He's 24, very strongly opinionated- he knows everything (aaaah, I remember those days) and he is also Vegan.  He's never protested anything in his life, so a few days before we set off for our Downtown Day in Seattle, I arranged to meet with the lovely Claudine, who happens to be French (and maybe my new best friend).  Claudine is at this intersection in North Seattle every Thursday from 12-1PM and has been for the past year.  She also leaflets at the KFC/Taco Bell down the street on Tuesdays.  On this particular day, a fellow peaceful protester, Jeff, joined her (I saw him at the circus protest in October as well).

Anyway, I keep my protesting materials in my trunk, so I whipped out a marker and on the other side of my Women's Rights protest sign, wrote the message, "McCruelty, We're hating it!!" because, well... we were pressed for time and I couldn't come up with something more creative.  Now that I've had a bit of time to think about it, I think I may have written something like:

 Hehe... a nod to John and Yoko.  Or perhaps something more graphically direct, such as:

But passive-aggressive is my favored way to go:

There's always next time, I suppose.

Back to the point here though: peacefully protesting and leafleting outside of a fast food restaurant is not meant to close the business down or make anyone angry (but if it does, that's a bonus).  It's simply meant to offer people FACTUAL information they may not have otherwise known was available to them.  Not to mention the added benefit of being able to connect with other like-minded and passionate animal rights activists in a world full of the "ignorance is bliss" mindset.

So what can you do to help?

1: Educate yourself on the issue.
2: Order or make protesting materials (signs and leaflets).  Feel free to use my message ideas above!
3: Form a group or stand alone (bring an extra sign or two- people will join you!).  Try to find a parking spot in another lot other than the restaurant you are protesting and set up shop just off the property on the public sidewalk (being careful not to block walking traffic).
4: Any time the topics of fast food, animal cruelty, healthy eating, etc. arise in everyday conversation, use it as an opportunity to kindly and positively share information you know.  Remember, when you are kind, others are more apt to hear what you have to say.

Peacefully protesting is not a matter of changing anyone's mind in a moment, but just opening a window and giving them a bit of information to do the research themselves.

Oh, and just for fun, please watch this hilarious interview of Ronald McDonald.  His mannerisms are just so perfectly comedic.  "I'm lovin' it!"  ;)

Local Yum: Shawn's Vegan Mac & Cheese

I seriously dream of this vegan mac & cheese!  Love, love, love this tasty dish from Bang Bang Cafe.  And the BLT...Field Roast, lettuce, tomato and Vegenaise on that delicious bread!  I literally go out of my way to stop at this cafe every time I'm in Seattle!  You must try this mac and take an order to go!

Peaceful Protesting

This past Thursday, my younger brother and I attended the opening day circus demo with NARN (Northwest Animal Rights Network) in Kent, WA.  The purpose of protesting these kind of events is not to force our views on others, but to promote awareness and educate the public on the cruel practices of the circus.  Many people have grown up attending events such as these without questioning them because its what was viewed as normal in their childhood.  A circus is an outdated form of entertainment, which relies on capturing animals from the wild, breaking their spirits by beating them into submission and forcing them to perform painful tricks to make a profit.

I remember as a child, watching the Disney film, Dumbo.  There is a scene in which Dumbo's captured mother rocks him with her trunk from behind bars, while singing him a lullaby.  It was the saddest thing I'd ever seen!  I still tear up watching it. There is truth in this film's message because this is exactly what happens even in present day.  Elephants in the wild live for 60-80 years in herds between 8-100, with the females staying together for life.  The males will stay with the herd until around ages 12-15, when they leave, roaming from herd to herd or living solo.  An elephant that is captured to perform tricks for a circus is subject to a life of imprisonment and isolation that is so debilitating that they often sway from side to side in an effort to comfort themselves.

Here is a line of uninformed parents with their children, either unknowingly or knowingly, teaching their children that it is okay to exploit animals for human entertainment.

Some of the protesters in front of the venue, the Showare Center in Kent, WA.

I'm smiling just because I like to smile, but I am very serious about the issue!

Dusk and the show has started.

Representing NARN and Peta.

Ready to call it a night... for now.  Where there is a circus, I will be back with my signs and leaflets.

If you would like to be a part of a peaceful protest, I highly recommend getting connected with a local group via google search, facebook event, or by simply organizing your own event and meeting up with like-minded strangers along the way.

For more information on the practices of circuses, facts about elephants and what you can do to help, follow the links below.  Happy protesting, loves.

Elephants: Broken Spirits via PETA.org
Under The Big Top via Animal Liberation Front (ALF)
Elephant Facts via Defenders.org
Circus Resources via PETA.org